Allah created mankind to send to the world as His vicegerents, and before that He prepared the earth to be fit for human life: soil, water, fire, air, living and non-living things, plants, shrubs, creepers, trees, flowers and fruit. Oxygen is essential for all living things, and the life of every creature depends entirely on plants. Plants supply the oxygen we cannot live without and absorb the harmful carbon dioxide our bodies give off, keeping our environment clean and liveable.

All the materials for human food, clothing, shelter and medicine come from plants, and the animals and birds that provide protein also depend on plants. The Prophet (PBUH) loved trees dearly. He planted trees with his own hands and encouraged others to plant them, and his companions planted trees too. To resist today's climate change and global warming, and so to protect human civilisation, the great sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH), tree planting, is sorely needed.

In the Quran, Allah says: "And the earth We have spread out, and set therein firm mountains, and caused to grow therein every kind of beautiful plant, as insight and a reminder for every servant who turns to Us. And We send down blessed rain from the sky and grow thereby gardens and grain for harvest, and tall date palms with clustered dates, as provision for the servants. And We give life thereby to a dead land; thus is the resurrection." (Surah Qaf, 50:7-11). "He causes to grow for you thereby the crops, the olive, the date palm, grapes and every kind of fruit. Indeed in that is a sign for a people who give thought." (Surah An-Nahl, 16:11). "Have they not seen that We drive water to the barren land and bring forth thereby crops from which their livestock eat and they themselves?" (Surah As-Sajdah, 32:27).

Stressing the importance of planting trees, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "If a Muslim plants a tree or sows a crop, and a person, bird or animal eats from it, it is counted as charity for him." (Bukhari: 2320, Muslim: 1563).

Another hadith says: "Whoever plants a tree and is patient in tending and protecting it until it bears fruit, Allah will give him the reward of charity for every fruit, even if it goes to waste." (Musnad Ahmad: 16702). A hadith also says: "Whoever plants a tree, Allah will give him a reward equal to the fruit of that tree." (Musnad Ahmad: 23567).

Anas (RA) narrated that the Prophet (PBUH) said: "If you know for certain that the Hour has come and you have a sapling in your hand that can be planted, then plant it." (Bukhari, Al-Adab al-Mufrad: 479; Musnad Ahmad: 3/183). He also said: "If the Hour comes while one of you has a small date-palm sapling in his hand, let him plant it." (Musnad Ahmad: 12902 and 12981; Al-Adab al-Mufrad: 479; Musnad al-Bazzar: 7408).

Planting, tending and protecting trees is everyone's duty. Commanding that trees be protected and warning against cutting them down, the Prophet (PBUH) said: "Whoever cuts down a tree without need, Allah will cast his head into the Fire." (Abu Dawud: 5241, Bayhaqi: 6/140).

Planting trees is sadaqah jariyah, continuing charity. The Prophet (PBUH) said: "When a Muslim plants a tree or sows a crop and people, animals and birds eat from it, it is counted as charity for the one who planted it." (Bukhari: 2320). For as long as the tree lives, every benefit that creatures, animals, birds and people receive from it, whether flowers, fruit or shade, will be written in the planter's record of deeds as sadaqah jariyah. Even after the planter dies, this reward will keep reaching his record. And even if someone eats or takes fruit from the tree without asking, the reward still reaches the planter.

Source: Prothom Alo. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.